Wonders of Iraq - 7wonders.org Wonders of Iraq Official languages: Arab, Kurdish Population: 28 221 181 approximately Iraq is an important country in Western Asia whose official name is Republic of Iraq. This country has borders with Syria to northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Jordan to the west and Arabia Saudi and Kuwait to the south. Besides, Iraq has a little coastline at the Persian Gulf in Umm Qasr. The capital of Iraq is the historical city of Baghdad which is located between the main rivers of the country the Tigris and the Euphrates, the same region where the legendary Mesopotamia were located and where they are the main archeological remains of Babylon the city of the Hanging Gardens, one of the seven wonders of the ancient World. The Republic of Iraq was created after the World War I as a protectorate of Great Britain. The territory that occupies Iraq belonged to the ancient Mesopotamia and later to the Turkish Empire. The population of the country is around 28 221 181 inhabitants, almost 75% of it are Muslim Arabs.

The Iraq’s population is composed mainly by three ethnical groups Sunni Muslims which inhabit the zone around Baghdad in the center of the country, Shis’a Muslims that are mainly in the south and Kurdish that are in the north. Iraq is 437 072 square kilometers. The country is mainly desert, exception the zone between Tigris and Euphrates rivers where the land is very fertile. The north zone of the country is composed by mountains. The climate in most part of the country is the typical desert’s weather with mild to cool winters and dry and hot summers. The main economical activity of the country is the oil extraction and the official currency is the Iraqi dinar. Iraq has a GDP of around $89 billions with a GDP per capita of $2900 approximately. Iraq has a rich history; the ancient Greeks knew the territory of Iraq as Mesopotamia. This region was 5000 year ago the cradle of one of the first civilizations of the world, the Sumerian culture. The humanity owed to this culture many important advances like the first sciences, mathematics, laws and philosophies. Many archeologists think that this region was the cradle of the civilization.

At the beginning of the VII century the territory of Iraq was ruled by the Rashidun Caliphate whose capital was in Damascus. In the VIII century Baghdad became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and one of the most important cities of the Arab world for five centuries until XIII century when Mongols destroyed and sacked the city. By 1535 Baghdad was ruled by Ottoman Turks who controlled Iraq until XX century. In the World War I Ottoman were allied of Germany. In the bloody campaign of Mesopotamia British forces took the control of the zone. Once the war was finished The Treaty of Sevres and the Treaty of Lausanne defined the conformation of the Western Asia and granted the United Kingdom the control over Iraq. United Kingdom granted Iraq its independence in 1932; but they imposed a monarchy, known as Hashemite monarchy leaded by the King Faisal who ruled until 1939. Then Ali al-Gaylani took the power; therefore UK invaded Iraq to ensure oils supplies in western nations and because the new Iraqi leader supported the nazis.

The British reinstalled the Hashemite monarchy, which lasted until 1958 when was defeated by a coup d’état of the Iraqi army leaded by General Abdul Karim Qassim who was overthrown by the Colonel Abdul Salam Arif in 1963, Abdul Salam died in 1966 and he was replaced by his brother Abdul Rahman . Finally in 1968 Abduhl Rahman was overthrown by the Arab Socialist Baath Party which Saddam Hussein was part. In 1979 Hussein became president of Iraq. In 1980 Saddam Hussein declared war against Iran. USA supported Hussein because they believed fundamentalist Iranian regimen leaded by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni was a threat. During the war Huseein’s troops attacked Iranians soldiers and civil people with chemical arms. In 1990 the dictator decided to invade and declare Kuwait part of Iraq searching the oil of this country. But, United Nations Security Council authorized a international coalition to intervene in Kuwait. The international coalition leaded by the ancient partner of Iraq, United States (which had many economical interests in the zone) defeated the Iraqi troops in the Gulf War.

But, the barbarian dictator ordered his troops to destroy the oil wells of Kuwait, this fact caused a great economical and mainly ecological disaster. Between 1991 and 2003 economic sanctions were imposed to Iraq. Meanwhile, Sadam Hussein responded violently to the protest of the people. In March 2003 United States invaded Iraq for decision of George W. Bush under the pretext to seek mass destruction weapons and without the authorization of UN (these weapons were never found). Now Iraq is controlled by American troops and is in the midst of a great social, economical and political crisis. But, Iraq is much more that war and evil leaders. It is a great country with many resources and good, warm, resilient and strong people, proof of this is the National team of football, which won the Asian Championship in 2007; despite the difficult situation in the country. Iraq has also a great glorious history and culture, which the entire civilized world wished that Iraqi people will recover very soon.

Sevens Wonders of the Ancient World - Ancient History - HISTORY.com Sevens Wonders of the Ancient World Sevens Wonders of the Ancient World Author Sevens Wonders of the Ancient World URL A+E Networks Introduction The amazing works of art and architecture known as the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World serve as a testament to the ingenuity, imagination and sheer hard work of which human beings are capable. They are also, however, reminders of the human capacity for disagreement, destruction and, possibly, embellishment. As soon as ancient writers compiled a list of “seven wonders,” it became fodder for debate over which achievements deserved inclusion. Ultimately, human hands joined with natural forces to destroy all but one of the wonders. Furthermore, it is possible that at least one of the wonders might not have existed at all. Still, all seven continue to inspire and be celebrated as the remarkable products of the creativity and skill of Earth’s early civilizations. Google Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt The Great Pyramids, located at Giza on the west bank of the Nile River north of Cairo, are the only wonder of the ancient world that has survived to the present day.

The three pyramids–Khufu (Cheops), Khafra (Chephren) and Menkaura (Mycerimus)–were built between 2700 B.C. and 2500 B.C. as royal tombs. The largest and most impressive is Khufu, which covers 13 acres and is believed to contain more than 2 million stone blocks that weigh from two to 30 tons each. For more than 4,000 years, Khufu reigned as the tallest building in the world. In fact, it took modern man until the 19th century to build a taller structure. Amazingly, the nearly symmetrical pyramids were built without the aid of modern tools or surveying equipment. Scientists believe that the Egyptians used log rollers and sledges to move the stones into place. The sloped walls, which were intended to mimic the rays of Ra, the sun god, were originally built as steps, and then filled in with limestone. The interior of the pyramids included narrow corridors and hidden chambers in an unsuccessful attempt to foil grave robbers.

Although modern archeologists have found some great treasures among the ruins, they believe most of what the pyramids once contained was looted within 250 years of their completion. Did You Know? The Colossus of Rhodes was an inspiration for the Statue of Liberty. Hanging Gardens of Babylon According to ancient Greek poets, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built near the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq by the Babylonian king Nebuchadrezzar II around 600 B.C. The gardens were said to have been planted as high as 75 feet in the air on a huge square brick terrace that was laid out in steps like a theater. The king allegedly built the towering gardens to ease his lover Amytis’ homesickness for the natural beauty of her home in Media (the northwestern part of modern-day Iran). Later writers described how people could walk underneath the beautiful gardens, which rested on tall stone columns. Modern scientists have deduced that for the gardens to survive they would have had to be irrigated using a system consisting of a pump, waterwheel and cisterns to carry water from the Euphrates many feet into the air.

Though there are multiple accounts of the gardens in both Greek and Roman literature, none of them are firsthand, and no mention of the gardens has been found in Babylonian cuneiform inscriptions. As a result, most modern scholars believe that the existence of the gardens was part of an inspired and widely believed but still fictional tale. Statue of Zeus at Olympia The famed statue of Zeus was crafted by the Athenian sculptor Phidias and completed and placed in the temple of Zeus at Olympia, site of the ancient Olympics, around the mid-fifth century B.C. The statue depicted the god of thunder seated bare-chested at a wooden throne. Holding up the thrones’ armrests were two carved sphinxes, mythical creatures with the head and chest of a woman, the body of lion and the wings of a bird. The statue of Zeus was richly decorated with gold and ivory. At 40 feet, it was so tall that its head nearly touched the top of the temple. According to legend, the sculptor Phidias asked Zeus for a sign of his approval after finishing the statue; soon after, the temple was struck by lightning.

The Zeus statue graced the temple at Olympia for more than eight centuries before Christian priests persuaded the Roman emperor to close the temple in the fourth century A.D. At that time, the statue was moved to a temple in Constantinople, where it is believed to have been destroyed in a fire in the year 462. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus There was actually more than one Temple of Artemis: A series of several altars and temples was destroyed and then restored on the same site in Ephesus, a Greek port city on the west coast of modern-day Turkey. The most fabulous of these structures were two marble temples built around 550 B.C. and 350 B.C., respectively. The former was designed by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes and decorated by some of the most celebrated artists of the ancient world. The building burned on July 21, 356 B.C., according to legend the same night that Alexander the Great was born. About six years later, the building of a new temple to replace it was begun. The new building was surrounded by marble steps that led to a more than 400-foot-long terrace.

Inside stood 127 60-foot marble columns and a statue of Artemis. Archeologists disagree as to whether the building had an open-air ceiling or was topped with wood tiles. The temple was largely destroyed by Ostrogoths in A.D. 262, and it was not until the 1860s that archeologists dug up the first of the ruins of the temple’s columns at the bottom of the Cayster River. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Located in what is now southeastern Turkey, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was a tomb built by Artemisia for her husband, Mausolus, the king of Carnia in Asia Minor, after his death in 353 B.C. Mausolus was also Artemisia’s brother, and, according to legend, she was so grief-stricken at his passing that she mixed his ashes with water and drank them in addition to ordering the mausoleum’s construction. The massive mausoleum was made entirely of white marble and is thought to have been about 135 feet high.

The building’s complicated design, consisting of three rectangular layers, may have been an attempt to reconcile Lycian, Greek and Egyptian architectural styles. The first layer was a 60-foot base of steps, followed by a middle layer of 36 Ionic columns and a stepped, pyramid-shaped roof. At the very top of the roof lay the tomb, decorated by the work of four sculptors, and a 20-foot marble rendition of a four-horse chariot. The mausoleum was largely destroyed in an earthquake in the 13th century and its remains were later used in the fortification of a castle. In 1846, pieces of one of the mausoleum’s friezes were extracted from the castle and now reside, along with other relics from the Halicarnassus site, in London’s British Museum. Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus was an enormous bronze sculpture of the sun god Helios built by the Rhodians over 12 years in the third century B.C. The city was the target of a Macedonian siege early in the fourth century B.C.

and, according to legend, the Rhodians sold the tools and equipment left behind by the Macedonians to pay for the Colossus. Designed by the sculptor Chares, the statue was, at 100 feet, the tallest of the ancient world. It was completed around 280 B.C. and stood for sixty years until it was toppled in an earthquake. It was never rebuilt. Hundreds of years later, Arabs invaded Rhodes and sold the remains of the statue as scrap metal. Because of this, archeologists do not know much about the exact location of the statue or what it looked like. Most believe that it depicted the sun god standing naked while he lifted a torch with one hand and held a spear in the other. It was once believed that the statue stood with one leg on each side of a harbor, but most scholars now agree that the statue’s legs were most likely built close together to support its immense weight. Lighthouse of Alexandria The Lighthouse of Alexandria was located on a small island called Pharos near the city of Alexandria. Designed by the Greek architect Sostratos and completed around 270 B.C.

during the reign of Ptolemy II, the lighthouse helped to guide Nile River ships in and out of the city’s busy harbor. Archeologists have found ancient coins on which the lighthouse was depicted, and from them deduced that the structure had three tiers: a square level at the bottom, an octagonal level in the middle and a cylindrical top. Above that stood a 16-foot statue, most likely of Ptolemy II or Alexander the Great, for whom the city was named. Although estimates of the lighthouse’s height have ranged from 200 to 600 feet, most modern scholars believe it was about 380 feet tall. The lighthouse was gradually destroyed during a series of earthquakes from 956 to 1323. Some of its remains have since been discovered at the bottom of the Nile. Tags Hanging Gardens of Babylon - Wonders of Iraq Hanging Gardens of Babylon National Wonders These famous gardens were one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World which was described by the Greek historian Herodotus. The oldest descriptions about the gardens were written by Greek sources like Strabo or Philo of Byzantium.

These historians described the gardens as one of the most impressive sites of the World. Some stories tell that the hanging gardens towered above hundreds of feet into the air but archaeological investigations indicate a more modest height, but still impressive to the time. The hanging Gardens did not really “hang “in the exact sense of being suspended from cables or ropes. The origin of the name is an inexact translation of the Greek word “kremastos” which mean “hanging”, but it means also “overhanging” such as a terrace or balcony. The Greek Historian Strabo (first century BC) described the gardens with these words: “Babylon, too, lies in a plain; and the circuit of its wall is three hundred and eighty-five stadia (an ancient unit of distance). The thickness of its wall is thirty-two feet; the height thereof between the towers is fifty cubits (an ancient unit of measure); that of the towers is sixty cubits; and the passage on top of the wall is such that four-horse chariots can easily pass one another; and it is on this account that this and the hanging garden are called one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The garden is quadrangular in shape, and each side is four plethra (an ancient unit of measure) in length. It consists of arched vaults, which are situated, one after another, on checkered, cube-like foundations. The checkered foundations, which are hollowed out, are covered so deep with earth that they admit of the largest of trees, having been constructed of baked brick and asphalt — the foundations themselves and the vaults and the arches. The ascent to the uppermost terrace-roofs is made by a stairway; and alongside these stairs there were screws, through which the water was continually conducted up into the garden from the Euphrates by those appointed for this purpose. For the river, a stadium in width, flows through the middle of the city; and the garden is on the bank of the river”. Another Greek historian named Diodorus Siculus tells that the gardens were around 400 feet wide by 400 feet long and almost 80 feet high.

Garden´s height is very controversial, since Herodotus said it was 320 feet high, but this point seems too exaggerated Other source described the hanging gardens as follows: "The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns... Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels... These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches... This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators". History According to Greek historians, the hanging gardens were built by order of the king Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. The legend says that Nebuchadnezzar constructed the gardens to please his wife Amytis the daughter of the king of the Medes. Amytis was married with Nebuchadnezzar to create an alliance between nations.

The homeland of Amytis was green, rugged and mountainous; therefore when the new queen arrived to Babylon, she was depressed because this city is over a flat sun-baked terrain. The intention of Nebuchadnezzar was to recreate the homeland of his wife building an artificial mountain with rooftops gardens. Nevertheless, many modern historians doubt about the existence of these gardens. One of the reasons to doubt is that there are not Sumerians tablets of the Nebuchadnezzar’s time which reference to the famous gardens. Altough there are several descriptions of the palace and the city in the government of this king. This fact is very bizarre, since if Greeks wrote so much about this wonder; it would be logical that hanging gardens’ creators write much more about them. Besides, there are not vestiges of the gardens in the archaeological excavations realized in the location where scientists believe, ancient Babylon was.

According to modern historians a possible explanation would be that the soldiers of Alexander the Great were very impressed when they saw the fertile and amazing land of Babylon; therefore when soldiers returned to Greece; they recounted stories about incredible gardens with palms and trees and higher ziggurats; which inspired the imagination of the Greek poets, who created the legend of one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Besides, archaeological excavations in Iraq have found vestiges of a building with vaults, but this location is quite far from the supposed location, where Greek historians placed the gardens on the banks of the Euphrates River. Another theory proposes that the hanging gardens would be constructed by Sennacherib who was king of Assyria from 705 to 681 BC and they would be located in Nineveh on the bank of the Tigris River. Recent excavations which have found vestiges of ancient gardens placed near the entrance to a palace support this idea. According to this theory because of the centuries, the real location of the gardens would have been confused. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Cool Stuff > Famous Buildings and Structures The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Since ancient times, people have put together many “seven wonders” lists.

Examples include the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, the Seven Wonders of the Modern World and the Seven Natural Wonders of the U.S. The content of these lists tends to vary, and none is definitive. The original list of seven wonders is the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which is made up of a selection of ancient architectural and sculptural accomplishments. The seven wonders that are most widely agreed upon as being in the original list are outlined below. The Pyramids of Egypt A group of three pyramids, Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaura located at Giza, Egypt, outside modern Cairo, is often called the first wonder of the world. The largest pyramid, built by Khufu (Cheops), a king of the fourth dynasty, had an original estimated height of 482 feet (now approximately 450 feet). The base has sides 755 feet long. It contains 2,300,000 blocks. The average weight of each block is 2.5 tons. Estimated date of construction is 2680 B.C. Of all the Ancient Wonders, the pyramids is the only one still standing.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Often listed as the second wonder, these gardens, which were located south of Baghdad, Iraq, were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar around 600 B.C. to please his queen, Amuhia. They are also associated with the mythical Assyrian queen, Semiramis. Archeologists think that the gardens were laid out atop a vaulted building, with provisions for raising water. The terraces were said to rise from 75 to 300 feet. Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) at Olympia Phidias (fifth century B.C.) built this 40-foot high statue in gold and ivory. All trace of it is lost, except for reproductions on coins. It was located in Olympia, Greece. Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus The temple was a beautiful marble structure, begun about 350 B.C., in honor of the goddess Artemis. The temple, with Ionic columns 60 feet high, was destroyed by invading Goths in A.D. 262. It was located in Ephesus, Turkey.

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus This famous monument was erected in Bodium, Turkey, by Queen Artemisia in memory of her husband, King Mausolus of Caria in Asia Minor, who died in 353 B.C. Some remains of the structure are in the British Museum. This shrine is the source of the modern word “mausoleum,” which is a large above-ground tomb. Colossus at Rhodes This bronze statue of Helios (Apollo), about 105 feet high, was the work of the sculptor Chares. He worked on the statue for 12 years, finishing it in 280 B.C. It was destroyed during an earthquake in 224 B.C. Rhodes is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Pharos of Alexandria The seventh wonder was the Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria. Sostratus of Cnidus built the Pharos during the third century B.C. on the island of Pharos off the coast of Egypt. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the thirteenth century.

Seven Wonders of the World - Hot Topics - TravelChannel.com Seven Wonders of the World The Original Ancient Wonders Middle East and Africa Egypt Europe Greece Hot Topics The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (often called simply, the Seven Wonders of the World) is a list of man-made structures built during the classical era. Scholars believe that ancient historians began compiling the list in the second century B.C. The final list of the Seven Wonders that we currently reference was defined in the Middle Ages. The Great Pyramid at Giza Cairo, Egypt Noted for being the only surviving member of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid is the largest of the 3 pyramids built in the ancient city of Giza, now part of greater Cairo, Egypt. The pyramid is believed to have been built around 2560 B.C. as a tomb for the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, and likely took 20 years to construct. (Egyptologists argue over man-power numbers, and estimates have ranged from 14,000 to 360,000 men).

When built, the pyramid measured nearly 480 feet high, with the sides each measuring about 755 feet long. In addition, each side is oriented with one of the cardinal points (north, south, east and west). Nearly 2.3 million blocks of stone, each weighing approximately 2 tons, comprise the pyramid. The pyramid remained the world's tallest building for 4 millennia after it was built. Hanging Gardens of Babylon Al-Hillah, Iraq The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are said to have been built by Nebuchadnezzar II, a ruler of Babylon, around 600 B.C. Though historians often debate the actual existence of the gardens, because there's no physical evidence and Babylonian documents never mention them (Greek scholars first described the gardens), accounts state that the gardens consisted of vaulted terraces raised above one another and supported on pillars -- in other words, an artificial rising mountain of gardens. The terraces were filled with dirt and planted with trees and flora, which were said to hang over the sides. The amazement over the gardens stems from what would have been an extraordinarily complicated irrigation system, which brought water from the Euphrates to the gardens in an otherwise arid environment.

The gardens are thought to have been destroyed by an earthquake around the first century B.C. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Selcuk, Turkey Completed around 550 B.C. to honor the Greek goddess of hunting and nature, the Temple of Artemis was built during the Achaemenid Dynasty of the Persian Empire. Arson destroyed the temple in 356 B.C. The ancient author and philosopher Pliny described the temple as being 377 feet long and 180 feet wide (about 3 times the size of the Parthenon), with 127 Ionic columns measuring 60 feet high, and made solely of marble. Used as both a marketplace and a place of worship, the temple housed numerous works of art and sculpture. Statue of Zeus at Olympia Olympia, Greece This enormous statue honoring the god Zeus was built at the Temple of Zeus in Olympia around 450 B.C. Designed by the Greek sculptor Pheidias, the statue of a seated Zeus measured 40 feet tall and was carved from ivory with gold-plated accents.

The statue depicts him seated on a cedar throne inlaid with jewels, holding a statue of Nike (goddess of victory) in his right hand and a scepter with an eagle on top in his left hand. Various theories exist to explain the statue's destruction. Some scholars believe that it was destroyed along with the temple in the fifth century. Others argue that the statue was brought to Constantinople, where it was destroyed in a fire in A.D. 462. Tomb of Maussollos at Halicarnassus Southwestern Turkey The tomb built to hold the remains of the Persian king Mausollos and his wife, Artemisia, was designed by the Greek architects Satyrus and Pythius and constructed around 353 B.C. on a hill overlooking the ancient city of Halicarnassus. The tomb stood 135 feet high, and its exterior was surrounded by an ornamental frieze. Numerous statues, bas-reliefs and columns decorated the exterior of the ornate and enormous tomb, and eventually the term "mausoleum" became used to describe any large and impressive tomb. Multiple earthquakes ultimately led to the destruction of the tomb in the 14th century.

Colossus at Rhodes Rhodes, Greece The Colossus of Rhodes was actually an enormous, looming 100-foot tall statue of the Greek god Helios, built on the island of Rhodes around 280 B.C. The statue was erected to commemorate the island's patron god, Helios, after Rhodes successfully defended itself in 304 B.C. from an invasion. Scholars believe that the statue stood either on a pedestal at the entrance to the island's harbor or on a breakwater in the harbor. An earthquake destroyed the statue in 226 B.C., a mere 54 years after its construction. Lighthouse of Alexandria Pharos Island, Alexandria, Egypt Scholars estimate the Lighthouse of Alexandria measured between 383 and 450 feet high and was built in the third century B.C. to act as a landmark for Pharos, a small island off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt. The lighthouse's tower was built using light-colored stone, and at its highest point, a mirror was placed to reflect sunlight during the day; at night a fire burned to give off light. Some historians believe that the light given off could be seen for some 35 miles.

The lighthouse was damaged by 2 earthquakes in 1303 and 1323, and its remains were destroyed in 1480, when a fort was built on the site. Chichen Itza is the largest known city of the Mayan civilization, located in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The powerful city flourished from AD 800 to 1200 and was a trading center for cloth, slaves, honey and salt. 960 1280 Chichen Itza is the largest known city of the Mayan civilization, located in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The powerful city flourished from AD 800 to 1200 and was a trading center for cloth, slaves, honey and salt. istockphoto The main attraction of Chichen Itza is the pyramid also known as El Castillo. Built sometime between 1000 and 1200, the pyramid was used as a temple to the god Kukulkan. Archaeologists believe that the pyramid also served as a calendar for the Mayas. In total it has 365 steps -- one for each day of the year.

960 1280 The main attraction of Chichen Itza is the pyramid also known as El Castillo. Built sometime between 1000 and 1200, the pyramid was used as a temple to the god Kukulkan. Archaeologists believe that the pyramid also served as a calendar for the Mayas. In total it has 365 steps -- one for each day of the year. istockphoto The Christ the Redeemer statue stands at the top of the 2,330-foot-tall Corcovado Mountain, looming over the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 960 1280 The Christ the Redeemer statue stands at the top of the 2,330-foot-tall Corcovado Mountain, looming over the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. istockphoto The 130-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ was completed in 1931 and is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. It is one of the largest Art Deco statues in the world, and it weighs in at 2.5 million pounds.

960 1280 The 130-foot-tall statue of Jesus Christ was completed in 1931 and is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. It is one of the largest Art Deco statues in the world, and it weighs in at 2.5 million pounds. Reuters The Roman Colosseum was built between AD 70 and 80, and it was in used for gladiatorial events, battle reenactments, animal hunts and other performances for 500 years. 960 1280 The Roman Colosseum was built between AD 70 and 80, and it was in used for gladiatorial events, battle reenactments, animal hunts and other performances for 500 years. istockphoto The Colosseum sat nearly 50,000 spectators, and its design still influences the construction of modern-day amphitheaters. Earthquakes and stone-robbers have left the Colosseum in a state of ruin, but portions of the structure remain open to tourists.

960 1280 The Colosseum sat nearly 50,000 spectators, and its design still influences the construction of modern-day amphitheaters. Earthquakes and stone-robbers have left the Colosseum in a state of ruin, but portions of the structure remain open to tourists. istockphoto The Great Wall of China, actually a series of many walls, stretches 5,500 miles across northern China. 960 1280 The Great Wall of China, actually a series of many walls, stretches 5,500 miles across northern China. istockphoto Built between the 5th and 16th centuries BC to protect China's borders from invasion by nomadic tribes, the Great Wall is the world's longest manmade structure. 960 1280 Built between the 5th and 16th centuries BC to protect China's borders from invasion by nomadic tribes, the Great Wall is the world's longest manmade structure. istockphoto Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca archaeological site, sits 7,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains of Peru.

It is often referred to as the 'Lost City of the Incas,' because it was known only to locals until it was discovered in 1911 by American historian Hiram Bingham. 960 1280 Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca archaeological site, sits 7,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains of Peru. It is often referred to as the 'Lost City of the Incas,' because it was known only to locals until it was discovered in 1911 by American historian Hiram Bingham. istockphoto Archaeologists estimate that 1,200 Incas could have lived in Machu Picchu, although many believe it was most likely a retreat for Incan rulers, built as an estate for the emperor Pachacuti (1438-1472). 960 1280 Archaeologists estimate that 1,200 Incas could have lived in Machu Picchu, although many believe it was most likely a retreat for Incan rulers, built as an estate for the emperor Pachacuti (1438-1472).

Getty Images Petra, an archeological city in Jordan, is known for its dusty pink buildings carved out of rock and its impressive water conduit system. Built sometime around the 6th century BC, Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans. 960 1280 Petra, an archeological city in Jordan, is known for its dusty pink buildings carved out of rock and its impressive water conduit system. Built sometime around the 6th century BC, Petra was the capital city of the Nabataeans. istockphoto The entrance to the city of Petra is through a narrow gorge, flanked on either side by 250-foot cliffs. The most recognizable building in Petra is the Treasury, carved completely out of rock as a tomb for a Nanataean king. The building's façade stands almost 150 feet high. 960 1280 The entrance to the city of Petra is through a narrow gorge, flanked on either side by 250-foot cliffs. The most recognizable building in Petra is the Treasury, carved completely out of rock as a tomb for a Nanataean king. The building's façade stands almost 150 feet high.

istockphoto Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was so distraught by the passing of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal, that he commissioned an elaborate mausoleum to be built for her. The Taj Mahal shines as a symbol of eternal love and was built entirely of white marble. Construction stretched over a period of 22 years, beginning in the 1630s. 960 1280 Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was so distraught by the passing of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal, that he commissioned an elaborate mausoleum to be built for her. The Taj Mahal shines as a symbol of eternal love and was built entirely of white marble. Construction stretched over a period of 22 years, beginning in the 1630s. istockphoto The Taj Mahal, located in Agra, India, is just one part of a vast complex that consists of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque, a guest house and several other magnificent buildings.

960 1280 The Taj Mahal, located in Agra, India, is just one part of a vast complex that consists of a main gateway, an elaborate garden, a mosque, a guest house and several other magnificent buildings. istockphoto Seven Wonders of the World Facts | KidsKonnect Worksheets / Social Studies / World History /Seven Wonders of the World Facts Seven Wonders of the World Facts Various lists of the Wonders of the World have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural wonders and manmade structures. These include the New, Modern, Natural and Ancient Wonders of the World. See the fact file below for more information. Download the Seven Wonders Worksheet Download and use this worksheet in the classroom or at home to increase your students' Seven Wonders knowledge. Download The New Seven Wonders of the World The new Seven Wonders of the World was compiled by popular vote over a six year period by a nonprofit group headed by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber. In 1999 Weber began collecting suggestions from Internet users around the world.

A list of over 200 nominations was narrowed down to 70, and then to 21, and finally to 7. The group reported more than 100 million votes, received via the Internet and cell phone messages. The Great Wall of China A 4,160-mile wall was built to protect China from invading Huns, Mongols, and other tribes, and to unite fortifications into one defense system. Begun in the 7th century B.C., the barricade took hundreds of years to build, and ranks as the world’s longest man-made structure and is the only one visible from space. Petra, – Jordan Ancient capital city was built around 9 B.C. during the reign of King Aretas IV and continued to grow during the Roman Empire. It is now visible in its pink stone ruins and carved façade. Christ Redeemer Statue – Brazil Standing 125 feet tall atop the Corcovado Mountain high above Rio, this statue took five years to build. Constructed in France by sculptor Paul Landowski, it was shipped to Brazil in pieces, and then carried up the mountain by train, where it was reassembled.

Machu Picchu – Peru This “city in the clouds” was built 8,000 feet above sea level in the 15th century by Incan emperor Pachacutec. Abandoned by the Incas, the city remained unknown until it was rediscovered by an explorer in 1911. Pyramid at Chichen Itza – Mexico The center of Mayan civilization in its day, Chichen Itza is still visible in several structures, including the pyramid of Kukulkan. Roman Colosseum – Italy Giant 50,000 seat amphitheater in the center of Rome was built over 2,000 years ago, and still influences the design of sports stadiums throughout the world. Taj Mahal – India Built in 1630 by emperor, Shah Jahan, in honor of his dead wife, this white marble structure combines Indian, Persian, and Islamic style of architecture. The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World The Pyramids of Egypt Three pyramids, Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaura located at Giza, Egypt.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon Were located south of Baghdad, Iraq and was supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar around 600 B.C. to please his queen, Amuhia. Statue of Zeus (Jupiter) at Olympia Phidias (fifth century B.C.) built this 40-foot high statue in gold and ivory. All trace of it is lost, except for reproductions on coins. It was located in Olympia, Greece. Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus A marble structure, begun about 350 B.C., in honor of the goddess Artemis. It was located in Ephesus, Turkey. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus Monument was erected in Bodium, Turkey, by Queen Artemisia in memory of her husband, King Mausolus of Caria in Asia Minor, who died in 353 B.C. Colossus at Rhodes Bronze statue of Helios (Apollo), about 105 feet high, was the work of the sculptor Chares. He worked on the statue for 12 years, finishing it in 280 B.C. It was destroyed during an earthquake in 224 B.C.

Pharos of Alexandria Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria. Sostratus of Cnidus built the Pharos during the third century B.C. on the island of Pharos off the coast of Egypt. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the thirteenth century. The Seven Modern Wonders of the World This “seven wonders” list celebrates monumental engineering and construction feats of the 20th century. It was chosen by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Empire State Building Finished in 1931, it towers 1,250 ft over New York City. Until the first tower of the World Trade Center was finished in 1972, it was the world’s tallest building. Itaipu Dam Built by Brazil and Paraguay on the Paraná River, the dam is the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant. Completed in 1991, it took 16 years to build this series of dams whose length totals 7,744 meters (8,469 yards). It used 15 times more concrete than the Channel Tunnel. CN Tower In 1976, the tower became the world’s tallest freestanding structure.

It looms about one-third of a mile high (1,815 ft) above Toronto, Canada. A glass floor on the observation deck lets you look 342 meters (1,125 feet) down to the ground. Panama Canal It took 34 years to create this 50-mile-long canal across the Isthmus of Panama. The amount of digging required and the size of its locks helped make it the most expensive project in American history at that time—and the most deadly: About 80,000 people died during construction (most from disease). Channel Tunnel Known as the Chunnel, it links France and England. It is 31 miles long, and 23 of those miles are 150 ft beneath the seabed of the English Channel. High-speed trains whiz through its side-by-side tubes. Netherlands North Sea Protection Works Because the Netherlands is below sea level, a series of dams, floodgates, and surge barriers have been built to keep the sea from flooding the country during storms. The biggest part of the project was a two-mile-long moveable surge barrier across an estuary finished in 1986.

It is made of 65 concrete piers each weighing 18,000 tons. It has been said that the project is nearly equal in scale to the Great Wall of China. Golden Gate Bridge Connecting San Francisco and Marin County in 1937, for many years this was the longest suspension bridge in world. Experts thought that winds, ocean currents, and fog would make it impossible to build. It took about four years to complete the beautiful 1.2-mile-long bridge. It is held by 80,000 miles worth of steel wire, and the cables that link the two towers are 36.5 inches in diameter—the biggest ever made. Seven Natural Wonders of the World There are a variety of amazing places all over the globe but the 7 wonders of the world are the most awe-inspiring. These natural wonders of the world can be found on five different continents and are magnificent in their natural beauty. Victoria Falls In Southern Africa, the Zambezi river flows across a flat plateau that extends hundreds of miles in all directions. It is here that one will find the largest waterfall in the world.

Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis Aurora Borealis, another one of the natural wonders of the world, appears in the North sky and is visible only from the Northern Hemisphere. These northern polar lights appear inadvertently from September to October and March to April. Grand Canyon Located in North America is the Grand Canyon. It is 277 miles long, the Colorado Plateau in northwest Arizona. The canyon is up to 18 miles wide, and is a mile deep. The canyon is an erosion formed by water, ice and wind. Paricutin Volcano In 1943 the Parîcutin Volcano erupted in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The first man to witness the eruption was a Tarascan Indian farmer, named Dominic Pulido. The Parîcutin is a Monogenetic cone, which means it stems from a single point of eruption. The volcano now stands at 1,345 feet above ground. Its hardened lava covers 9 square miles and its volcanic sand covers 19 square miles. Harbour of Rio de Janeiro The Harbour can be viewed in so many ways that it appears differently and can be deceptive.

For example, the mountains create an entrance into the bay and can make it appear to be a lake. However, when the Portuguese explorers arrived in 1502, they believed the bay was a large river and named it Rio de Janeiro, the “River of January,” in honor of the month they arrived. Mount Everest Like the rest of the Himalayas, Mount Everest rose from the floor of the ancient Tethys Sea, on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. It is considered to be the highest mountain in the world and continues to grow today at the rate of a few millimeters each year. Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is located along the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia. The Reef stretches 1,615 miles and is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem composed of 2,900 individual reefs. It supports a variety of vulnerable and endangered species. The Great Barrier Reef covers an area of approximately 214,000 square miles and is the only living organism on earth that is visible from space.

Primary Sidebar Trusted online source since 1999 Secure payments via Stripe or PayPal Resources created by teaching professionals Secure servers for online safety Excellent customer support The Seven Wonders Of The World - BBC Documentary - YouTube The Seven Wonders Of The World - BBC Documentary Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jan 19, 2015 Check out some other documentaries: The Seven Wonders of the World (or the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) refers to remarkable constructions of classical antiquity listed by various authors in guidebooks popular among the ancient Hellenic tourists, particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. The most prominent of these, the versions by Antipater of Sidon and an observer identified as Philo of Byzantium, comprise seven works located around the eastern Mediterranean rim. The original list inspired innumerable versions through the ages, often listing seven entries.

Of the original Seven Wonders, only one—the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the ancient wonders—remains relatively intact. Background In this painting by Maerten van Heemskerck, the seven wonders of the ancient world are depicted as a background for the abduction of Helen by Paris. The Walters Art Museum. The Greek conquest of much of the known world in the 4th century BC gave Hellenistic travellers access to the civilizations of the Egyptians, Persians, and Babylonians. Impressed and captivated by the landmarks and marvels of the various lands, these travellers began to list what they saw to remember them. Instead of "wonders", the ancient Greeks spoke of "theamata" (θεάματα), which means "sights", in other words "things to be seen".

(Τὰ ἑπτὰ θεάματα τῆς οἰκουμένης [γῆς] Tà heptà theámata tēs oikoumenēs [gēs]) Later, the word for "wonder" ("thaumata" θαύματα) was used, and this is also the case in modern Greek (Επτά θαύματα του αρχαίου κόσμου). Hence, the list was meant to be the Ancient World's counterpart of a travel guidebook. Each person had his own version of the list, but the best known and earliest surviving was from a poem by Greek-speaking epigrammist Antipater of Sidon from around 140 BC. He named six of the seven sites on his list—leaving out the lighthouse—, but was primarily in praise of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Another 2nd century BC observer, who claimed to be the mathematician Philo of Byzantium, wrote a short account entitled The Seven Sights of the World.

However, the incomplete surviving manuscript only covered six of the supposedly seven places, which agreed with Antipater's list. Earlier and later lists by the historian Herodotus (484 BC--ca. 425 BC) and the architect Callimachus of Cyrene (ca. 305--240 BC), housed at the Museum of Alexandria, survived only as references. The Colossus of Rhodes was the last of the seven to be completed, after 280 BC, and the first to be destroyed, by an earthquake in 226/225 BC. Hence, all seven existed at the same time for a period of less than 60 years. Antipater had an earlier version which replaced Lighthouse of Alexandria with the Walls of Babylon. Lists which preceded the construction of Colossus of Rhodes completed their seven entries with the inclusion of the Ishtar Gate. Scope It is thought that the limitation of the lists to seven entries was attributed to the special magical meaning of the number. Geographically, the list covered only the sculptural and architectural monuments of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions, which then comprised the known world for the Greeks.

Hence, extant sites beyond this realm were not considered as part of contemporary accounts. The primary accounts, coming from Hellenistic writers, also heavily influenced the places included in the wonders list. Five of the seven entries are a celebration of Greek accomplishments in the arts and architecture (the exceptions being the Pyramids of Giza and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon). Category Hanging Gardens of Babylon Facts Hanging Gardens of Babylon Facts Hanging Gardens of Babylon Facts The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are thought to have been built in the ancient city of Babylon. Even though there is no proof that they actually existed, they are considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is called the Hanging Gardens because the gardens were built high above the ground on multi-level stone terraces. The plants weren't rooted in the earth like a traditional garden. If it existed it was likely the most beautiful man-made gardens ever created. Interesting Hanging Gardens of Babylon Facts: The Hanging Gardens are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world that may not even have existed. There is no documentation in Babylonian sources that the gardens ever existed. There is also no solid archaeological evidence that they existed. Several ancient Roman and Greek writers wrote about the gardens.

They wrote about why they were built, how they were built, and the size of the gardens. They even described how the gardens were watered. They didn't all agree on why they were built or who they were built for. The most popular theory is that the gardens were built by king Nebuchadnezzar II to make his wife happy. She was homesick for the plants and gardens of her homeland. King Nebuchadnezzar II ruled Babylon from 605BC, for a period of 43 years. It was during this time that he is said to have had the Hanging Gardens built. If the gardens actually existed, it would have taken 8,200 gallons of water each day to keep the plants watered. The gardens were thought to be about 75 feet high. The water would have had to have been carried up or transported to the top of the gardens by a primitive water irrigation system. There are many clay tablets that exist from the time period when the Hanging Gardens would have existed. None of these ancient tablets mention the Hanging Gardens. Many believe that if the gardens did exist they would have been located south of Bagdad in Iraq.

Some historians and archaeologists believe that the gardens did exist and were destroyed by war and erosion. Some believe it was earthquakes that eventually devastated and destroyed the gardens. In the ‘Hanging Gardens', the plants did not actually hang. They grew from many different levels of terraces (similar to balconies). The word ‘hanging' comes from the Latin word ‘pensilis' or the translation of the Greek word ‘kremastos'. It actually means overhanging instead of just hanging. A Greek historian named Diordorus Siculus described the gardens as being 400 feet wide by 400 feet long. He also said that the walls were more than 80 feet high. Between 1899 and 1917 a German archaeologist Robert Koldewey may have unearthed the Hanging Gardens. What he unearthed resembled what Diordorus Siculus had described. In the bottom of the ‘hanging gardens' there were three strange holes in the floor that would have worked well for a chain pump irrigation system. This would have made it possible to irrigate the plants. Recent excavations have found traces of aqueducts near Nineveh, which would have supported such a garden.

Nineveh is 300 miles away from Babylon. Related Links:

Question: Which was the only 'Wonder of the Ancient World' located in what is now Iraq?
Answer: 'HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON'